Fund Raising

This has been a most important side of this entirely volunteer-run project. One of the major contributors to this was a steady trickle of donations collected in the Carriage and Wagon Department's Exhibition Coach, and more has been raised by donations collected after giving guided tours of the carriage works. For four years the Railway's sponsored walk, displaced from Kingscote Station by its opening to traffic, was organised by and benefited BASH.

One of the most important source of funds was the offer of a gala day on the re-launch of the set into traffic, with donations of £50 securing a third class seat and £100, first class. Earlier as a thank-you to our supporters we held a party on board Pullman Car Bertha, together with an opportunity to view work in progress. We also enjoyed the chance to have a Saturday off from "bashing" bits of teak, taking a ride on the train whilst discussing our favourite project! A second "thank you day" celebrated the return to traffic of the first two vehicles, and a third was held after the launch of the third vehicle.

The first two restored coaches visited Steam on the Met in May 2000, and were on display in the bay platform at Rickmansworth with locomotive Met.1. This generated huge interest in the project, with many people astounded that these vehicles were run regularly in passenger service rather than being museum items.

Photo above: Following restoration of the first two of the four coaches, the test run train pauses at Horsted Keynes, January 1999. (Lewis Nodes)

The Chesham set with Loco No.323 at Horsted Keynes circa 1964 (Keith Harwood)

Relevant Links

The other surviving Metropolitan Railway "Bogie Stock" coach is the other driving trailer third from the Chesham shuttle trains. This, along with a Metropolitan Railway steam loco, electric loco and milk van, is preserved in the London Transport Museum, who have been very helpful to us.